Ex-reagan Aides: 'Star Wars' Test Misled Congress, Soviets

August 18, 1993|By New York Times

WASHINGTON — Officials in the ''Star Wars'' project rigged a crucial test and faked other data in a program of deception that misled Congress as well as the intended target, the Soviet Union, four former Reagan administration officials said.

The deception program was designed to feed the Kremlin half-truths and lies about the project, formally known as the Strategic Defense Initiative, the former administration officials said.

It helped persuade the Soviets to spend tens of billions of dollars to counter the American effort to develop a space-based shield against nuclear attack, they said.

But the deceptive information also helped persuade Congress to spend more money on strategic defense, the officials said. All would speak only on the condition that they not be identified.

The former administration officials cited what they said was a clear example of a rigged test that misled Congress and the Kremlin. In June 1984, they said, project officials conducted the fourth attempt to hit a target missile.

The first three tests in the series had failed. It was crucial that the fourth succeed, a scientist with the project said.

To ensure that the missile defense program would be seen as a success, the test was faked, the former Reagan administration officials said.